No. 12. 



Jessica. — Potatoe Planting. 



369 



JESSICA, 



Three and a half years old. Bred by J. Hutchinson^ Esq. 



To the Editor of tlie Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Potatoe Planting. 



Sir, — On a late visit, which I paid to an 

 intelligent friend and excellent agriculturist, 

 I found him in his field planting potatoes, 

 after a method which I consider about as 

 near perfection as may be desired ; and the 

 simplicity and ease with which it might be 

 adopted for general culture are, to me, amongst 

 its greatest recommendations. I speak with 

 confidence when I recommend this mode of 

 practice, for I have used it very extensively 

 myself, and have found it the quickest as 

 well as the least expensive, the easiest as 

 well as the most certain mode of procedure, 

 which I have tried or seen adopted. The 

 only difference between my friend's manage- 

 ment and that of my own was, he planted 

 under a turf sod, with once ploughing, while 

 I always plough the land designed for pota- 

 toes early in the autumn, deep, and well up, 

 and so it lies until the spring : the after cul- 

 ture, and before I plant my crop, leaves me 

 but little to do in the way of cleaning and 

 hoeing amongst the crop, it being my plan 

 to completely eradicate the weeds and pul- 

 verise the soil, before planting the potatoes, 

 when double the labour in half the time, 

 and at half the expense, can be given for the 

 purpose. 



His method after this was like my own — 

 the surface of the land had been spread with 



half-fermented manure, and in a furrow which 

 had been thrown out adjoining the fence, 

 potatoe sets were dropped, at the distance of 

 fourteen inches apart, and upon these the 

 dung of the two next furrows in width was 

 raked and spread carefully; the plough, on 

 again passing, turning a furrow upon it and 

 tiie sets, and making as good worlc as I ever 

 expect to see. The next furrow had no 

 potatoes planted in it, and no dung, so the 

 sets were planted in every alternate furrow, 

 and these had the whole of the dung : thus 

 the work was finished in the easiest, quick- 

 est, and most perfect manner imaginable. 



Now, in all other sod-ploughings for plant- 

 ing, I have been dissatisfied with the rough 

 and uneven state in which the land had been 

 left after the plough, and on which the har- 

 rows would operate to much disadvantage, 

 and often to an injurious extent, pulling over 

 the half-turned sods, which would require to 

 be replaced by hand, and even then the work 

 would be left ill done. My friend had, I 

 believe I may say, invented a machine by 

 which this inconvenience and injury were 

 prevented, and for this, if it be his own in- 

 vention, he deserves a premium — it was 

 merely the iron tire of a broad wagon wheel, 

 which was dragged horizontally on the surface 

 of the ground by a longer or shorter chain, 

 so as to elevate the front to a certain degree 

 to enable it to work properly ; and by this 

 very simple contrivance, the surface was cut 



